As for Jasper's two youngest daughters, born after '95… being completely honest with himself, Alex had absolutely no interest in them.
From a purely objective standpoint, they were fine. Acceptable. They carried Jasper's bloodline, and that alone set a minimum standard. Unless sothing had gone seriously wrong along the way, it was unlikely they would turn out unattractive. Still, in Alex's mind, that was where it ended. Acceptable was the ceiling. There was no curiosity beyond that, no lingering glance, no second thought.
When compared to forr girlfriends like Emily or Sasha, the gap beca obvious almost instantly. And it wasn't just about looks. It was aura. Presence. Maturity. The kind of impact soone had simply by standing still. More than anything, Alex had no interest in getting involved with soone's daughter. If things went south-and statistically speaking, they almost always did-it would contaminate everything that ca after. Awkward etings, strained cooperation, polite smiles stretched too thin. He had seen that kind of ss more tis than he cared to rember.
There was also another reason, one he rarely admitted out loud, but never lied to himself about.
Alex liked dating won who were already known.
Fa ca with a peculiar kind of energy. Even ordinary monts felt sharper, more vivid, when there was a spotlight sowhere in the distance. When attention existed, even if it wasn't always friendly.
Cough. Cough.
Anyway.
His phone vibrated softly against the table. Seeing Mark's na on the screen, Alex answered without much thought.
"Hey! Director Alex! Bleach just crossed three hundred million views on the platform! At this rate, the top drama awards this year definitely have a slot reserved for us!"
Just hearing Mark's voice, Alex could already imagine the scene on the other end-talking too fast, barely breathing between words, probably pacing the office with an uncontrollable grin like soone who had just hit the jackpot.
Alex listened quietly.
Awards, however, had never been what truly stirred him.
They were nice, sure. Polished. Shiny. Good for posters and press releases. But what he valued were things you could feel more directly-numbers that didn't lie, audiences that ca back, discussions that refused to die down. His ambition had always been straightforward: to build, in this parallel world, a genuine kingdom of otaku culture. Sothing that stood on its own weight, not borrowed prestige.
Trophies and statuettes?
They didn't an much to him.
"Did you call just to tell that?" Alex asked, his tone calm, almost lazy.
On the other end, inside Aurora Entertainnt, Mark froze for a mont, scratching his head. That reaction… wasn't what he had expected at all.
Realizing that Alex genuinely didn't care about award talk, Mark quickly shifted direction.
"Oh-right. Renata called earlier. She wants to invite us to the premiere of Rebeca's new movie. Thought we could go together."
At those words, Alex's expression subtly changed.
Not shocked. Not annoyed.
Just… peculiar.
He genuinely couldn't figure out why Renata would invite him and Mark-two forr cast mbers of Paladins of Destiny-to a movie premiere. A reunion for old tis' sake? Maybe that explanation worked for other people.
But Renata?
Unlikely.
When it ca to her daughter-who was sitting at the absolute center of public attention-Renata treated every man as a variable. A possible risk. Inviting veterans like Jack Creed or even Jasper made more sense than inviting two relatively young n.
Which left only one reasonable explanation.
Hype.
At this point, Bleach's popularity in the country was bordering on absurd. If soone claid it was only the second most popular series, no one would dare argue-because there simply was no first.
More likely than not, the invitation hadn't even co from Renata herself, but from producers or investors hoping to borrow so reflected heat. After all, Sosuke Aizen and Ichigo Kurosaki had beco living symbols of traffic and attention.
"Director Alex… are we going?" Mark asked carefully.
Even though he was older, his tone carried the faint hesitation of soone asking permission. He wanted-no, needed-to stay in Bleach. If he annoyed Alex and lost the lead role, there wouldn't be a second chance.
"Let's go," Alex replied.
The answer made Mark stop breathing for a split second.
He… agreed?
Sensing the surprise through the silence, Alex continued evenly.
"Ray invited to a premiere yesterday too. He and Susan already agreed to participate in my next project. Think of it as returning the favor."
Mark blinked twice.
Ray and Susan.
Two heavyweights. That alone told him Alex was already planning sothing big-bigger than most people realized.
"And I might as well take a look at the atmosphere," Alex added casually. "Get a feel for the market."
Mark finally let out the breath he'd been holding. For a mont, he'd braced himself for sothing much worse.
…
Lately, Alex had been buried in the managent of licensed rchandise stores and negotiations. For once, he felt he'd earned a short break.
A movie premiere didn't sound like a bad way to relax.
Still, halfway to the venue, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"…What was the na of the movie again?"
The question landed like a small bomb.
Mark's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. Samantha Burnes, seated beside Alex, turned to stare at him, speechless.
He was going to a premiere-and didn't even know the title.
Alex rely shrugged. From his experience in his previous life, that so-called "fairy sister" had spent years in the film industry, and nearly every movie she starred in had flopped. Was there really any reason to study it so seriously?
"The Four Great Detectives," Samantha answered softly. It was the weekend, and since she didn't have school, Alex had brought her along. After saying the title, she hesitated before asking, "Alex… is it really okay for to be there? They didn't invite ."
"I bring whoever I want," Alex replied with a light laugh. "They want to ride my popularity. Can't I ride theirs a little too?"
That was how the industry worked.
Mutual use. Mutual benefit.
"Alex, stop talking like that," Samantha pouted. "You're going to completely ruin Aizen's image."
Watching them through the rearview mirror-so relaxed, so natural with each other-Mark's expression grew more complicated by the second.
The closeness wasn't inappropriate.
But it wasn't exactly ordinary either.
After a mont, he shook his head inwardly. He was overthinking it. Alex could be difficult, complicated, even sharp-edged-but he didn't strike Mark as soone without boundaries.
As long as things stayed reasonable, there was no real problem.
After all, this story was far from over.
And there were still many chapters left to be written.
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